1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to flat-panel visual displays generally, and, more particularly, to flat-panel visual displays that enable multi-directional articulation while maintaining balance and stability.
2. Discussion of Related Art
In general, display apparatuses include a display unit for displaying images according to a supplied video signal and, in some form, a stand unit for supporting the display unit. Usually, display apparatuses include mechanisms for varying the viewing angle of the display unit. Such displays increasingly are in the form of a flat-panel display, specifically, a liquid crystal display (LCD) in which a thin, high-quality LCD panel is sandwiched between front and rear cases, along with a main circuit board generating images thereon according to a video signal input from a personal computer. The LCD panel typically is large in surface area, compared to the display apparatus as a whole and relatively heavy. The stand unit, which should be of a size and weight to support the display unit, conventionally has been as large as the display unit to provide adequate support, i.e., with stability and balance.
To pare down the bulk of the stand unit, which improves appearance and saves desk space, by simply reducing the bottom surface area of the stand unit, a design limit is reached when the stand unit becomes too small to provide stability and balance for the display apparatus. Further, should to the display apparatus topple, which is likely during adjustment of the viewing angle, the LCD panel and associated circuitry are prone to damage.
Exemplars of contemporary practice in the art include U.S. Pat. No. 4,691,886, issued to Wendling et at. for an Adjustable Display Stand which describes a base with a detachable lower segment. The lower segment is not described as counterbalancing a display unit, or possessing any weight that inherently might counterbalance an upsetting, offset display unit center of gravity. U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,594, issued to Djelouah for a Solar Lamp Stand describes a receptacle demountably connected to a box. The box includes a detachable base plate. The base plate is constructed from plastic and has an orifice with which the base plate is fastened to the ground.
After careful study of the exemplars of contemporary practice in the art, I have found a need for a flat-panel display apparatus having a balancing element mounted in the stand unit.